Alone at five months old

This is Lilly.  A five-month-old cheetah cub who is the latest confiscated cub to come to us after being rescued from the illegal wildlife trade (IWT).

Brought to the CCF centre in Hargeisa, Somaliland on Tuesday 11th March, little Lilly was handed over to us after being seized by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC).

When Lilly reached our vet team, she was suffering with dehydration, was malnourished, had wounds on her neck and shoulders which were infested with maggots, and had numerous ticks.

With her obvious ailments and the mental suffering endured, and having been snatched away from her family, it’s safe to say that Lilly’s first five months on Earth were quite traumatic.

Lilly, having been taken from the wild, has no family, and has been deprived of a life in the wild – which is what nature intended. At CCF, we can offer her the next best thing – refuge, shelter and natural space – at our Cheetah Conservation Rescue Centre (CCRC), where she can also receive the love, care and respect she deserves.

Sadly, Lilly won’t be the last cub taken from the wild this year.  It is estimated that 300 cheetah cubs are illegally trafficked from the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Somaliland) each year. About 4 in 6 die before they reach their final destination, and most do not live beyond 2 years.

If you’d like to support Lilly’s recovery, any donation made today will help fund her health checks, medication and around the clock care.  Thank you for helping to give Lilly a second chance.